The present invention relates to a granular beverage material and a method for its preparation from a powdered extract of the beverage.
By "beverage material" we mean any material which can be reconstituted to form a hot or cold liquid food or drink product. Such materials include tea, coffee, and drinks made from flavour extracts.
Such beverage materials are either in the form of dry powder which comprises relatively small particles (50-500 microns) or granules. One of the problems with powdered materials is that they are often hygroscopic and therefore caking can occur. In order to prevent this, anti-caking agents need to be added, which might impair taste and appearance of the ready drink and add to the costs. Furthermore, such powdered materials are often associated with large quantities of dust, by which we mean very fine material.
In British Patent GB-A- 1 498 119 (Nestle) a method is described for the preparation of a vegetable extract, such as coffee, in the form of grains. The method comprises passing a vegetable extract, in the form of a powder or paste, through an extruder. Heat is applied to the extract during its passage through the extruder. Unfortunately, the product formed as a result of applying heat and pressure is a thermoplastic material in which the particulate structure of the vegetable extract is no longer retained. The thermoplastic product therefore requires expansion in a vacuum chamber, to give a product in the form of grains. The disadvantage with this method is the number of process steps which it involves.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for the preparation of a granular beverage material in which the particulate structure of the starting material is retained and which does not require an expansion step.
Thus, according to the invention there is provided a method for forming a readily soluble or dispersable granular beverage material from a powdered extract of the beverage comprising the steps of sintering the essentially dry powdered extract by heating in a closed environment to form an agglomerate thereof and then granulating the agglomerate.